Camp Property Management Annual Reports

The text of recently received Annual Reports are below, with the most recently received at the top and older reports below. To jump to a particular report, simply click the year listed below.

2021 Camp Property Management Committee Annual Report

No report received.

2020 Camp Property Management Committee Annual Report

The Camp Property Management Committee (CPMC) maintains structures at three residential camps as well as maintains and conserves 800 acres. CPMC Committee met 7 times from August until May. We met in February with the Camping Program Committee at Goose Creek Meetinghouse. Members of the CPMC Committee met both in person or on Zoom (conferencing system). The Committee has grown in membership but still could use additional members.

BUDGET
In December, with the understanding that expenses have increased and revenue was less, the Committee reviewed the capital projects budget for 2021 and gave final approval in January.

At our April meeting and at an emergency meeting in May, Ned Stowe gave us an overview of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s economic crisis due to the closing of the camps because of the Coronavirus. At our May meeting, the committee explored ways to raise funds though camp usage with the camps closed due to COVID-19.

WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
The committee spend substantial time working with the Camp Property Manager reviewing and approving capital management plans for the camps, as well, as assisting with Family Camp Weekends and volunteer projects. The Committee participated in David Hunter’s annual review.

FAMILY CAMP WEEKENDS (FCW)
In the Spring and Fall of 2019, the Camping Property Management Committee and Camping Program Committee supported 6 Family Camp Weekends. The Family Camp Weekends Weekends (FCW) still provides the Camping Property Management Committee and Camping Program Committee with opportunities to physically connect with our residential camps. Unfortunately, the Family Camp Weekends were canceled in the Spring of 2020 due to the virus.

• Catoctin: The spring FCW was attended by 63 and in the fall 60. Some of the work included tearing down a cabin, cleaning up hazelnuts, removing invasive plant
• species, graffiti removal, etc.
• Ø   Opequon: The spring FCW was attended by 26 and in the spring 23. The ages were 4 through grandparents. The work completed included cleaning and painting lower bathhouse, replacing tree protectors, cleaning shower trailer and upper bathhouse, building 2 new picnic tables, weeding graffiti removal.
• Ø  Shiloh: the spring FCW was attended by 34 and in the fall by 33. The work included painting, work on dogwoods, clean up around the pond.

The Committee again thanks David Hunter for his dedication and hard work. We also thank our volunteers for their commitment to our camps.

2019 Camp Property Management Committee Annual Report

The Camp Property Management Committee (CPMC) maintains structures at three residential camps as well as maintains and conserves 800 acres. CPMC met six times from August until May. We met in February with the Camping Program Committee (CPC). Members of the CPMC Committee meet in both in person or on Zoom (conferencing system). The Committee has few members and has requested additional members from our Nominating Committee liaison.

After extensive review, the Committee approved the revised 2020 Budget with completion of end of year numbers by David Hunter. To help increase income from the camps, we have begun working on how to increase Off Season Camp rentals (weddings, festivals, etc.). A member of committee developed a marketing brochure featuring all three camps. We will continue to develop a plan on how to advertise the availability of the camps.

The Committee dedicated two sessions to exercises that led to our contribution to “Cooking Up a Case Statement and the Strategic Objectives” for the Development Committee.

The Committee continues to support the Camp Property Manager in planning and managing projects. The Committee spent substantial time reviewing and approving of the plan to purchase a new shower trailer for Opequon. We also reviewed changes to the floor plan for the existing bathhouse which includes an ADA accessible shower and new toilet partitions and doors. We reviewed repairs at Catoctin to the kitchen wall, installation of new “sharps sink” and cabins, the building of a cabin and the replacement of the Infirmary roof. At Shiloh, the camp road has been repaired and plans to build a new cabin have begun.

We supported six Family Camp Weekends since last August. The Family Camp Weekends (FCW) continue to provide both CPMC and CPC with opportunities to physically connect with our residential camps. We also have had the opportunity to share meals and work with camping families and volunteers. At recent weekends, debris from a cabin and the infirmary roof were removed by committee members and volunteers.

The Committee again thanks David Hunter for his dedication, leadership, and hard work. We also thank our volunteers for their commitment to our camps.

2018 Camp Property Management Committee Annual Report

Camp Property Management Committee met seven times between September 2017 and June 2018. We met jointly with Camping Program committee in February 2018. Members are encouraged to meet in person and we also use conference calling.

One member resigned from the committee in September 2017 which left the committee below the optimum of “at least eight members.” Ex-officio members from Trustees, Stewardship and Finance and Camping Program committee often attend our meetings. A member of our committee also serves on Development committee and is our “unofficial” liaison. The committee’s clerk continues to work with David on Family Camp Weekends. Another committee member serves on the joint CPC & CPMC Opequon sub-committee and served on the Shiloh caretaker search committee. David Hunter is always a cheerful and informative presence at committee meetings.

The Catoctin Bathhouse dedication was held on September 30, 2017 with much joy and celebration. 100 % of our committee members are donors in support of Baltimore Yearly Meeting and the bathhouse. It was an honor for the clerk to dedicate David Hunter’s “toilet”:

“The Yearly Meeting community and our camp committees are indebted to David Hunter’s compassion, leadership, and intricate knowledge of each of the camps. David’s devotion to the camping program is evidenced by his commitment to environmental stewardship, his warm welcome to volunteers, vendors, visitors and camp families, and by the many hours he spends cheerfully at each of the camps, in meetings, and with administrative tasks, and singing.”

Working with David Hunter, the committee is mindful of environmental concerns when considering both long and short term planning and projects at each camp. This includes repair and/or replacement of the commercial appliances in each of the camp’s kitchens. A new ice maker was purchased for Opequon to replace the ice trays. Used appliances are considered, and appliances are moved between camps instead of additional purchasing.

Family Camp Weekends (FCW) and summer camp work grants offer committee members the opportunity to become familiar with the camp properties. In addition to projects that are started and/or completed at FCW’s there is the occasional call for volunteers for a special project. The Opequon cabin replacement is an example of a project that was supported by volunteers which reduced the overall cost to BYM. The contractor, Paul Kessell, is comfortable working with volunteers, and as a camp parent himself, is familiar with our community.

The committee began working on the development committee activity “Cooking Up a Case Statement…” and the Strategic Objectives Worksheet. Work on this activity will continue in the coming year.

The committee agreed with David Hunter for a slight increase in rental fees for the camp properties yet the fees remain very reasonable. We invite you to visit our camps and spread the word about the rental opportunity.

Gloria Victor-Dorr

Clerk, Camp Property Management Committee

Approved by CPMC 10/30/2018

2017 Annual Report

Our committee met eight times between September and June with our May meeting held during the Catoctin Family Camp Weekend. For those members who live at a distance we utilize a conference call option.

Camp Property Management Committee (CPMC), together with Camping Program Committee (CPC), held a total of six successful Family Camp Weekends at Catoctin Quaker Camp, Opequon Quaker Camp and Shiloh Quaker Camp over the course of 12 months. These weekends encouraged new and returning camp families to enjoy the camps while providing service work at the camps. A program manager was engaged for each weekend to model a summer camp counselor and provide a taste of camp in the form of activities, songs and camp chores. A kitchen manager is provided a suggested menu from which they do the shopping and lead meal preparation with assistance from willing volunteers. Each spring and fall a personal email is sent to the Quaker schools listed in the BYM Yearbook inviting their community members to the FCW’s. This outreach has been successful in bringing new families to camp. Families are warmly greeted by our two caretakers, Jake at Shiloh, and Jesse at Catoctin, and their assistance with the service work accomplished during the FCW’s is invaluable. The types of service projects completed would be too numerous to list here, but non-native invasive plant removal and reforestation projects are ongoing at each of the camps.

The CPMC supported and assisted the Camp Property Manager in managing the Catoctin bathhouse project, replacing the kitchen floor at Opequon, and getting the properties ready for the 2017 camp season. The committee is grateful to our many volunteers who come to camp to assist with special projects such as the Opequon kitchen floor. Maintenance was completed on the gravel road at Shiloh thanks to a willing volunteer from Charlottesville Friends Meeting. Committee members also serve as liaisons to other BYM committees and ad-hoc committees.

CPMC members also assisted with the development of the camp property annual budget and camp property priorities, creating a strategic plan for capital improvements. The committee also discussed camp property rental opportunities and ideas for possible future implementation.

CPMC reviewed its description in the Manual of Procedure and suggested a few changes to reflect the current CPMC procedures.

The committee is indebted to David Hunter’s compassion, leadership and intricate knowledge of each of the camps. Stewardship is a term we often hear in our Quaker gatherings and we strive to be good caretakers of not only the buildings and their contents, but also of the land itself, and the people who create community with us at camp. Come join us!

2016 Annual Report

No report received.

2015 Annual Report

The Camp Property Management Committee is pleased to report that the camp properties were generally well used, well cared for, and in many ways improved. We have had many improvements at the camps this year. The Committee depends on the dedication, skills, and knowledge provided by David Hunter, Camp Property Manager. We thank our Shiloh caretaker Jake Butler, and our Catoctin caretaker Don Frame, for their stewardship of our cherished camp properties.

The Camp Property Management Committee met several times this past year, including one joint meeting with the Camping Program Committee. Some members join the meetings via conference call. We are pleased to report that the properties are doing well and are tenderly cared for, even if there are seemingly endless issues that need to be addressed.

The camps are a treasured resource to most of the BYM community, some would say priceless. Many Friends rent the properties for Meeting or family retreats and events, and we hope to find ways to increase these rentals – please consider ways in which you and your Meeting might better utilize the camp properties. We encourage everyone to volunteer for one of the spring or fall Friends Service Weekends and enjoy the beauty of our camps, while helping maintain and improve the camps while holding down costs. The number of Friends Service Weekends has been decreasing in recent years. To encourage participation, David Hunter, with the help of the joint efforts of Camp Programs and Camp Property Management Committees, instituted a “mini-camp weekend”, which includes a few structured camp-type activities for families.

The Camp Property Management Committee is working closely with Ann Venable on strategies for marketing that would help raise interest and thus contributions to Camp property upkeep. David Hunter designed a small cabin playhouse that was originally used as a fun camp activity for the campers at Opequon. David unassembled the small cabin playhouse and brought it to Annual Session where it was used as a fundraiser. The small house was re-assembled piece by piece as the donations came in.

We take environmental impacts and considerations into account in all of our decisions. The CPMC’s “Green Working Group” has proved useful as a link between different BYM Committees and has provided some tangible information on alternative energy options for BYM, the camps, and others affiliated with BYM. We are developing plans that incorporate alternative energy production at the camps as well as environmentally sustainable methods of construction and waste water management at the camps. We also look forward to continuing to participating in the vision implementation process which is ongoing within BYM.

Cabin replacements at all three camps continue on a rotating schedule and within budget. Larger capital improvements such as new bathrooms at Catoctin are in the design phase. We are working with Development Committee on a Capital Campaign for a five year plan to complete major improvements to camp’s property.

On behalf of the committee,
Alene Carteret (Homewood) and Gloria Victor-Dorr (Sandy Spring), co-clerks

2014 Annual Report

The Camp Property Management Committee is pleased to report that the camp properties were generally well used, well cared for, and in many ways improved. In the spirit of John Woolman’s plain speaking, almost all day-to-day work at Camp properties is done by others, especially the Camp Property Manager, David Hunter. The dedication, skills, and knowledge that he provides are a solid foundation upon which the Committee depends a great deal. We have had many improvements at the camps this year, such as wonderful new cabins built, and details of these will appear separately in the Property Manager’s Report, prepared for October Interim Meeting. We thank our Shiloh caretaker Jake Butler, and our Catoctin caretaker Don Frame, for their stewardship of our cherished camp properties.

We continue to make progress in Capital Budgeting. One of our most important tasks is to plan for the maintenance and improvement of several million dollars worth of properties not only for the next 5-10 years, but for coming generations. Our work on budgeting has been assisted by many other Committees and the BYM Treasurer, and we applaud the hard work that has gone into compiling and making more information available about the Yearly Meetings financial position.

We are moving forward with greening the camp properties. A new utility and storage building at Opequon is designed to permit easy installation of solar panels on the roof, implementation of which awaits further budget and design decisions. We have engaged with the new BYM Development Director and other Committees to find ways to fund green projects. Near the top of the priority list is redesign of the Catoctin bathhouses, where we have plans for composting toilets. Research on wind and solar energy options at all the camps continues.

In this Committee’s advance report from 1996, it was reported, “The disappearance of the (Shiloh) swimming holes in the river ….have prompted us to look into the feasibility of adding a pool to the plans…”. Through the cooperation and hard work of numerous volunteers, campers began swimming in a new Shiloh Pond in 2012 --some projects just take more time than others!

The ex officio participation of the Camping Program, Trustees, and the General Secretary has been excellent and is much appreciated.

We encourage all BYM members and attenders to make full use of our wonderful camp properties. We continue to seek ways to increase the utilization of the camps for family and community gatherings. You are also encouraged to participate in a Friends Service Weekend to not only have an enjoyable weekend, but help maintain the camps and keep costs down.

On behalf of the committee and yours in the light,

Ron Lord (Sandy Spring) and Alene Carteret (Homewood), co-clerks

2013 Annual Report

The Camp Property Management Committee met 5 times this past year, including one joint meeting with the Camping Program Committee. Members occasionally join the meeting via conference call, and at times we use a service that allows computer screen sharing so that we can look at spreadsheets, building designs etc. together. We are pleased to report that the properties are doing well and are tenderly cared for, even if there are seemingly endless issues that need to be addressed.

We spent a significant amount of time reviewing capital budgets, and generally considering the long-term funding requirements of maintaining our properties. We thank David Hunter and Margo Lehman for continuing to improve the organization of the budget and financial data, which is now easier to understand and provides a better foundation for projections and budgeting.

The camps are a treasured resource to most of the BYM community, some would say priceless. Many Friends rent the properties for Meeting or family retreats and events, and we hope to find ways to increase these rentals – please consider ways in which you and your Meeting might better utilize the camp properties. We encourage everyone to volunteer for one of the spring or fall Friends Service Weekends and enjoy the beauty of our camps, while helping maintain and improve the camps while holding down costs. Attendance at Friends Service Weekends has been decreasing in recent years and we are finding it challenging to encourage participation. This year we found it necessary to cut back to just one weekend in the spring and fall each at Shiloh, Opequon and Catoctin. We are planning on hiring contractors to do much of the new construction at the camps for the foreseeable future rather than attempting to utilize volunteers in this area.

We did not have any projects this year that were on the scale of last year’s Shiloh Pond (for which, again, three cheers). Cabin replacements at all three camps continue on schedule and within budget. Larger capital improvements such as new bathrooms at Catoctin and Opequon are in the planning phase.

We take environmental impacts and considerations into account in all of our decisions. The CPMC’s “Green Working Group” has proved useful as a link between different BYM Committees and has provided some tangible information on alternative energy options for BYM, the camps, and others affiliated with BYM. We are developing plans that incorporate alternative energy production at the camps as well as environmentally sustainable methods of construction and waste water management at the camps. We also look forward to continuing to participating in the vision implementation process which is ongoing within BYM.

We wish to thank our Shiloh caretaker Jake Butler, and our Catoctin caretaker Don Frame, for their stewardship of our cherished camp properties.

On behalf of the committee and yours in the light,
Ron Lord, Clerk

2012 Annual Report

The Camp Property Management Committee is pleased to report that during the past year our BYM camp properties again provided many members, attenders and campers a safe and spiritually enriching environment in which to be nurtured and grow in the spirit.

The issue on which we focused the most time this past year was preparing our Committee’s response to the initial report of the BYM Camp Finances Working Group. Many of our members have labored long and hard to discern the most appropriate way for BYM to fund the camp programs and properties in light of our resource constraints and our common goals. We stated in our Report to the Camp Finances Working Group:

“The committee would urge the Yearly Meeting explicitly to recognize the camp properties as a vital natural resource for the community, an opportunity for multi-generational stewardship, and one of BYM’s most valuable financial assets, the prudent and self-interested maintenance of which requires a substantial and sustained commitment of support.”

In a parallel vein, we also spent significant time on capital planning, cognizant that other BYM committees, officers, and staff depend upon having good financial data and forecasts upon which to base their planning. We thank the Stewardship and Finance Committee and the Camp Properties Manager, David Hunter, for their continued development of improved and more-transparent financial data on the camps.

Some property concerns may never seem to go away, such as the state of bathrooms at Catoctin and Opequon. However we continue to chip away at those and other similar issues, resolving them as we can, based on budget priorities and limits. But this really was a year of mostly good news. A temporary wind tower is collecting a year’s worth of data at Catoctin, and we may someday have our own wind-powered electricity. The Shiloh pond was built on time and within budget, largely due to the hard work of many including Allen Fetter - our volunteer project manager and Jake Butler – our new caretaker at Shiloh. And the Catoctin site plan, which involved many years of dealings with County officials and contractors, has been approved; we may now resume replacing Catoctin cabins, and will be able to devote more time to other priorities.

Looking forward, a sub-Committee, called the “Green Working Group”, has already started to provide us guidance and advice on how we might manage our properties in more environmentally-responsible manner. Mindful of tight resource limitations, we will continue to try to be good stewards of our wonderful properties.

We wish to express deep thanks to our departed Shiloh caretaker, Ralph Reed, to our new Shiloh caretaker Jake Butler, and to our Catoctin caretaker Don Frame for their hard work and good stewardship of the cherished camp properties.

On behalf of the committee and yours in the light,
Ron Lord, Clerk

2011 Annual Report

Shiloh: Excitement continues to build over the plans to build a swimming pond. If our target of $75,000 raised for the Shiloh pond is reached by early August, we plan to proceed with construction after Camp season is over and complete as much as possible this year. We thank all who have assisted with this project to date, especially in fundraising. The general contracting will be done by members of the committee, at a considerable savings over hiring an outside firm.

Catoctin: Our focus at Catoctin continues to be on creating a site plan that will be reviewed and approved by Frederick County. The site plan has now been prepared, submitted, reviewed and has had a public hearing before the Frederick County Planning Commission and has been conditionally approved. A few tasks remain for us to have an approved, signed site plan but the end is in site and the work that remains is clearly defined. This process involved an extraordinary amount of work on the part of the CPMC and other volunteers as well as the Camp Property Manager. We owe a debt of gratitude to all involved and look forward to having a site plan in place so that we can refocus our attention on improving and maintaining the site.

We are working with the Maryland Energy Administration (MD EA) to test the feasibility of wind power generation on the property at Catoctin. We applied to the MD EA’s Anemometer Loan Program and were granted an anemometer that will be installed this summer. This device will collect a year’s worth of wind speed data and give us a clear picture of the potential of the site. We are in the process of prepairing a site so that the tower and anemometer can be installed. We are also exploring other alternative energy sources, both as a way to reduce our carbon footprint, and to reduce costs.

Opequon: We completed a new cabin in time for the 2010 camping season and have started on another which completed in the fall. Staff and campers rave about the improvements a new filter made in the drinking water. In addition to saving on the cost of using bottled drinking water, Opequon is a greener place since we are no longer using the fossil fuels needed to transport the bottled water.

We are adjusting our budget to match the BYM format and participating, with other committees, in development of a capital budget both for the camps and for the Yearly Meeting as a whole. We are also happy that the Camp Finance Working Group has been established and are actively supporting their work. It will be helpful to have clearer goals that the Yearly Meeting is in unity with as we work on camping program and property and budgets in the future.

The committee continues to seek ways of increasing revenue generated by the properties. As we worked on our budget this year we were particularly focused on fine-tuning and extending the timeframe for some capital projects in light of funds that were released from reserves to the general fund. We attempt to make the best use of the human and monetary resources we collectively have to maintain our camp properties as an invaluable resource for future generations.

And lastly we express deep thanks to our Caretakers, Ralph Reed at Shiloh and Don Frame at Catoctin, for their service in helping us maintain secure and beautiful camp properties.

On behalf of the committee and yours in the light,
Ron Lord, (Sandy Spring), Clerk